IN the final stages of Middlesbrough's open training session at the Riverside Stadium earlier this week, the attacking players were at one end of the pitch peppering efforts at the goal in a shooting drill.

At the other end, the two central defenders who'd taken part in the session worked closely with coach Jonathan Woodgate.

Matt Clarke was one of the centre-halves; the other, 17-year-old Harley Hunt. It's not a bad education for the summer signing, a schoolboy this time last year, learning from a former Real Madrid and England central defender.

Woodgate was key in the capture of highly-rated and in-demand Hunt in the summer, talking at length to the teenager and selling the Boro move. It worked. Despite interest from Aston Villa and even Manchester City, the Swindon defender opted for Boro, confident the Riverside was the best place to continue his rapid development and hopeful, on the back of playing in League Two last season, that further senior opportunities would arise.

That certainly looks likely, for Hunt has been in Boro's matchday squad for two of their first three games this season. He was on the bench for last week's Carabao Cup first round victory at Leeds and kept his place in the squad for the weekend defeat at Derby.

He hasn't yet got on the pitch but for a player who only turned 17 a fortnight ago, just being around the first team squad is hugely beneficial.

“I think it’s invaluable experience," said head coach Michael Carrick.

"When you talk about experience, the little things you can take from sitting and watching it, feeling the atmosphere and the emotion and how to deal with that, it’s an important part to get used to what match-days feel like."

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Hunt played three times for Swindon's first team last season as well as being the star in a side that stunned Manchester United on their way to the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals.

Swindon's academy boss Alex Pike told of his pride in the youngster after his Boro switch, and Hunt has wasted no time in catching the eye on Teesside.

And he's not the only young defender impressing. James Wilson, who made his senior debut on the final day win over Watford last season in the same week he signed his first professional contract with the club, is also catching the eye of coaches.

Carrick said: “Harley has done well. He is still young and this is a big change for him moving up here, so we’re looking after him and trying to develop him.

"Alongside Harley we’ve also got James, two really good young centre-backs. James has already played and Harley is coming with us a little bit more at the minute, adapting and learning.

"It’s fantastic to see the young boys coming up and getting experience with us. Whether they play or whether they don’t - hopefully at some point they do - it’s great for their experience because they might be the next ones.

“We’re fortunate enough to have Harley and James who have both been around the group as young centre-backs. Part of the development is coming away with the group and being around it. Part of the development is training, another part is playing a bit with the under-21s.

"Harley made a really big impression since he joined us. He’s still young so we’re not wanting to put anything on him expectation-wise. But at the moment, he’s doing very well."